The San Francisco 49ers' upset loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night was disappointing. One silver lining was the return of the team's All-Pro tight end, George Kittle, who had a historic game.
Kittle hauled in 15 passes on 15 targets for 183 yards and a score. Not only are his 15 receptions the most in a single game by a tight end in franchise history, but the performance also marked the first time in NFL history a tight end has registered 15-or-more receptions and 175-or-more receiving yards in a single game.
Kittle's reception total for the night ranks third in franchise history behind only Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice, and is tied with Jason Witten (2007), Zach Ertz (2014), and Kellen Winslow (1984) for second in NFL history. Witten owns the record after an 18-catch performance in 2012.
| Most Recepts. In A Game, Franchise History | ||||
| Rank | Player | Opponent | Date | Recepts. |
| 1. | Terrell Owens | vs. Chi. | 12/17/00 | 20 |
| 2. | Jerry Rice | vs. LAR | 11/20/94 | 16 |
| 3. | George Kittle (TE) | vs. Phi. | 10/4/20 | 15 |
| 4. | Jerry Rice | vs. Min. | 12/18/95 | 14 |
San Francisco had been without Kittle for the past two games after the tight end suffered an MCL sprain and bone bruise during Week 1.
"Body? Feels great," Kittle said after the game. "Getting tackled 15 times is a lot, but that's what I'm built for. It felt great to be back out there with the guys. Unfortunately, we just didn't get it done. That's not fun."
The 49ers tight end also got into the history books in another way. Kittle tied Rob Gronkowski for the third-fewest games played by a tight end in NFL history to reach 3,000 receiving yards, doing so in 47 games. Mike Ditka and Kellen Winslow tied for the fastest at 45 games.
| Fewest games to 3,000 rec. yds. by a TE | ||
| Player | Games | |
| 1t. | Mike Ditka | 45 |
| Kellen Winslow | 45 | |
| 3t. | George Kittle | 47 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 47 | |
| 5 | Jimmy Graham | 49 |